The Top 5 Fan Favorite MMA Moves and How to Do Them

The Top 5 Fan Favorite MMA Moves and How to Do Them

In the sport of mixed martial arts, fighters know that they can get the crowd going anytime they pull off a slick submission or land that highlight-reel blow.

Whether it's a highly technical hold or an intricate strike, there are certain moves in MMA that just seem to get fans riled up more than others.

Earlier this week, I got a chance to talk with Andrew "The Squid" Montañez, a professional fighter and host of MMA Surge, as his crew and him helped me break down the top five fan favorite moves in MMA.

Squid and company have produced a ton of online videos showing fans exactly how to do the techniques made popular by their favorite fighters, some of which have been included in this piece.

Check out these top five moves—and learn how to pull them off—after the jump.

5. Rear Naked Choke

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The good, old rear naked choke.

While this move doesn't have the flash or technical intricacies like other submissions, it has become a fan favorite because it's a high percentage finish that virtually everyone can recognize.

"Even people that don't understand the sport know what a choke looks like," says Squid.

When you start training in MMA or grappling, the rear naked choke is one of the first moves that you learn because it is so simple and effective.

While you may have an easier time sinking the sub, getting out of a locked rear naked choke may be one of the hardest tasks in the game.

4. Guillotine Choke

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Like the rear naked choke, the guillotine has also become one of the most popular submissions among fans due to its high finish rate and frequent use by grapplers and fighters of all kinds.

Guys like Cody McKenzie and Urijah Faber have made this a signature part of their arsenals since it is so deadly yet not overly complicated to pull off.

As a frequent grappling competitor myself, I can honestly say there's no better feeling than when you sink in a tight guillotine.

3. The Twister

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Popularized by 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu founder Eddie Bravo, the Twister is one of the most painful yet aesthetically pleasing submissions in the game today.

MMA fans have only recently seen the move on the international stage when Chan-Sung Jung finished Leonard Garcia with it during their rematch in the UFC last year.

However, the spine-twisting submission has been used multiple times prior to the "Korean Zombie's" rendition.

ONE FC commentator and former fighter Jason Chambers is widely credited with being the first person to sink the Twister back in 2006 while Invicta FC bantamweight Shayna Baszler is recognized as the first woman to pull it off, submitting Megumi Yabushita via Twister at Freestyle Cage Fighting 39 in 2010.

A dangerous yet amazing move to watch, expect to see more Twisters in the cage as the sport evolves.

2. Flying Knee

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This high-flying Muay Thai attack has become a widely popular move among both fighters and fans because of its sheer knockout power.

Guys like Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Jose Aldo and Carlos Condit have all used the flying knee to decimate their foes, even going so far as to win titles with the devastating technique.

You definitely don't want to be on the wrong end of this aerial attack.

1. Superman Punch

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Popularized by UFC Welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, the Superman Punch has cemented itself as one of MMA fans top favorite moves.

The technique's name alone definitely grabs people's attention, but add in the flashy, high-flying theatrics and you can see why fans just love this move.

New members at my gym love to mimic this move during striking class, although I caution competitors to make sure they have their fundamentals down before trying this out.

All around, however, this is a fun move to try as well as to watch, and it can lead to some serious KOs - see Travis Browne vs. Stefan Struve.